May /June 2011: 10,000 Sewing Hours Challenge Review &July/ Aug: 10,000 Hr. Challenge Goals

First of all, thanks so much for all of your nice comments about my Tracy Reese dress. You Guys are always so kind:)

I'm still trying to catch up on posts and although we're 11 days into the month and I've been working on my sewing challenges for the month. If you're new to my blog, you can see my 10,000 Sewing hours challenge outlined on the right side of my blog.  Before I get into July & August's sewing details  those here's a quick recap of my May and June sewing.
To be quite honest May and June were horrible sewing months for me. I ended up sewing 2 pieces---only 2---but they were 2 of my favorites....

 (McCalls 6380)

(Butterick 5600)

.... My normal monthly plan is around 6-8 pieces!  I even had 2 garments cut out and ready to be sewn but I just didn't get around to it and I did have 1 wadder (those white pants). BUT.... I spent alot of time doing sewing related activities. I discovered my style and created a Style Look Book which was a great turning point in helping me get focused on the type of sewing I need and prefer to do. So although May & June didn't produce more than a couple of garments it's given me the energy to be agressive with my July & August's sewing goals.

So for July and August here's a few sewing ideas that I've had in mind and have already began sewing up. I have to run out for a party so I don't have time to expound on the designs but you can see the pattern matched up with the fabrics I plan to use. This isn't the entire 2 months sewing plan but enough ideas to get me started.

I'm pretty excited that I've already completed 2 garments (the Tracy Reese dress from yesterday and another Jumpsuit in gray (I'll post pics soon). You see one slow couple of months really kicks me back into action. Before I leave town this week I plan to have 2 more pieces sewn up.  So that means I would've essentially sewn up 4 items in a little over a week. Again my "Wee-One" has been away at Grandma & Papa's house so I've been really able to compound some sewing hours and catch up!!!

Well I've got to run off to the party. I'm wearing my newly sewn gray jumpsuit so I get to be cute tonight (smile). Happy sewing.....

Jan / Feb 2011: 10,000 Sewing Hours Challenge Review & March/ April: 10,000 Hr. Challenge Goals

This review of my sewing activities is SO overdue. To sum up January & February very simply, they were the bests months for Client work and the worst for personal sewing. In all I made 3 1/2 pieces when I usually do 6-8 pieces. I made this outfit, this dress and still need to finish this coat. But all in all, I'm not complaining too much. I enjoyed my client work and of course if funds materials and supplies I use in my sewing. I recently bought some great new sewing books & a DVD (courtesy of my Client work) which I'll review in a separate post.

So although I didn't do alot of sewing for myself, I did get to log a good bit of sewing hours. I've updated them on the right side of my blog. But I vowed to participate in the Jacket a Month Sew-Along and I'm so behind. I have no doubt that I will be able to catch up though.

I've already started March off well, I think. I made 2 Father/Daughter dresses. I've switched over to Spring sewing since we've had non stop temperatures in the 70's & 80's. I'm currently working on Simplicity 2443. I'm working on the dress in this fabric. It's a pretty loud print but I love the 2 shades of pink, gray, and black.

I'm a little nervous since I'm short waisted and I'm always nervous at making dresses with high waist lines. I plan to make the jacket in the next week or so in gray cotton sateen. I'm still very much on my "gray kick".

I also need to make my April 2nd Gala dress. I need to get to work on it asap. I already feel like time's a wasting. I'll be sure to start on my muslin on tomorrow.

These projects should keep me busy through March. I haven't completely decided what I wanted to sew for April so that will remain a surprise for now. I know I need to get to thinking about me and my daughter's Easter outfits in addition to some capris and some cute tops. I'll definitely keep you posted.

Gotta go finish up my dress and head out to find some silver heels, accessories, & clutch to wear with my Gala dress. You think finding silver heel would be easy but I'm going for some really glamorous one's so I'm being a bit picky. I'm looking on line and in stores. I'll stumble upon some soon, I'm sure.

Have a Great day!!!!!

I Need Some More "Play Clothes"-- May/June 10,000 Hr. Challenge Goals

Whoever coined the saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T SEW! In my world, absence (from sewing) makes me NUTTY for sure!!! April was a crazy month due to my out of town work assignment to AK. I didn't hardly get to sew anything for my March/April 10,000 Hr. Challenge goals. Out of the 6-8 pieces I was planning to sew, I only managed to get following 4 items done, and one of them was a WADER.


Vogue 8593
Butterick 5225 ---WADER
Simplicity 3867
Vogue 1182 Kay Unger dress

Well I'm definitely trying to make up for it in my May/June 10,000 Hr. Challenge goals. Since the last month was so serious I figure I need some time to play. You know, time to chill out some, sew, and take things a little easy. Well if I'm going to play then I need some PLAY CLOTHES!

Here's some of the patterns I intend to tackle:

 I hope to get at least 6-8 pieces done!

I'm even planning to add a swimsuit or two! Yipee! Here are a few of my fabrics. I especially like the Girl Superhero Comic strip fabric which I've had in my stash forever! How cute would that be in a tankini!

Well this is currently what I'm working on......  Isn't this print just dizzying! That's what I love about it!

Anywho, happy sewing to you! Hope you're able to get alot of sewing done:)

10,000 Hour Sewing Challenges: March & April 2010 Goals

It took me a week but I was finally able to round up a new set of sewing projects. For some reason it took a little while for the creative juices to flow for me to settle upon some good ideas.  Nevertheless, I'm SUPER EXCITED about my new goals.  Here are the "pool of patterns" I plan to pick from to create my 6-10 garment by the end of April.  They are....

 

(Just have to add the zipper and this top is ready for review)

  

 (This dress is cut out and is next in line to be sewn)

(Here is the "pool of patterns" in which I'll pull some of my remaining projects from unless I get some new ideas or new patterns)

 (I still want to squeeze in a pair of jeans and possibly another pair of these Jalie trousers(I loved my first pair of trousers).)

Here's my pool of fabrics as well.....

 

(Lots of colorful poplin prints for tops and dresses.......)

  

 (Denim and bottom-weight fabrics for capri's and jeans)

 

(2 polyester prints that I can't wait to sew with.)

In addition to these above sewing projects I have to sew Easter dresses for my daughter, Goddaughter, and myself. I haven't even decided on patterns yet but I'm working on it asap.

The next 2 months are going to be a super busy month and I'm going to cram as many sewing project that I can into them. I wasn't super satisfied with my progress from January & February's sewing challenge so I feel I've got to push my limits just a bit. Thanks in advance for following along with me and keep your fingers crossed for me!!!

January / February 2010--- 10,000 Hr Challenge Final Report

Just a little less than 4 hours until March 1st and I'm putting down the fabric and stepping away from the sewing machine to reflect on the work I've done for the last 2 months. When I started this challenge I had high hopes of getting alot done---as you can see from my initial challenge post here. It might have seemed that I was reaching for the stars a little bit with some of my lofty goals but I felt it necessary to push the envelope some. The reality for the seamstress is that time is always a limiting factor to some degree or another.  Well I ended up doing alot of "Plan B" garment exchanges based on my change in taste, time limits, etc. So what I actually sewed looks like an entirely different list minus the Jalie 2909 trousers. So let's take a look at what I did do.......

What I accomplished:
So I ended up with the 6 garments (you can see them if you look at the Pattern Review display windows on the right or click on the pattern link to see my blog review--which has more details). They were...

2 dresses ---  Vogue 8593, McCall's 5974
3 tops--- New Look 6714, New Look 6807, New Look 6922
1 pants--- Jalie 2909


My Goal was to end up with 6-8 garments. I was aiming more for 8 but between the lengthy research I did on my pants, the lost of my steam iron, and sewing machine issues through me a bit off schedule. And this past week was a nightmare. I'd really hoped to squeeze in another garment but time wouldn't allow for it. But that's life and we know that life is filled with it's own little interruptions.

My Favorites:

I really liked everything I sewed but I consider the Jalie 2909 trousers as my greatest sewing accomplishment for the past 2 months, especially since they were the first pair of pants I've ever sewn. The two weeks I spent working on these were extremely invaluable and have made me comfortable with fitting and sewing pants----there's no more avoiding them!!!

I also loved this dress and wherever I go I always get compliments on it. I'll definitely be sewing the Vogue 8593 again.

 My Dislikes:

I really didn't dislike this McCall 5974 dress just the high midriff front. But I've decided to wear the dress as long as I can get a blue cardigan to match---you know to lengthen my torso a bit.

Additional Observations:
I didn't realize that everything (except my Jalie trousers) I sewed these 2 months were knits. I love sewing knits and wearing them but I also like to show I can sew other fabrics as well and like the experience of doing so as well. So my next challenge goals will contain a little less knits.

  What I've learned:
These two months have been great and have allowed me to get a better sense of how I spend my sewing time and time in general. Trust me it takes alot of effort to carve out the 3 hours a day I need in to fulfill my 1000 hour challenge for the year and my overall 10,000 hour challenge------(hmmmm, as if being a Wife, Mom, Full-Time Employee, and having my Sewing business doesn't occupy enough time).  And on the days I can't carve out the time I'm pretty good at making it up on the weekends. You Guy's know how determined I am to meet my goals so I'll do the best I can with the time I've got. So far it seems I've got the time.  I need to do a better job at dividing it up for pattern fittings, and doing so in a couple of days time so I can spend the rest of the week actually sewing and completing the garment.

Ok--it's time to clean my slate (and cutting table) and to move onto the March/April 2010 Sewing Goals. I'm excited about Spring sewing. That's next..........

Current Sewing status, Challenge review, Upcoming plans, DVD Review...

  It seems like things have been sooooooooo crazy lately. At the tail end of last week my sewing machine began giving me some issues so I dropped it off for repairs and/or tune-up (details in my last post). Well the good news is that all it needed was a little cleaning. It's hard to believe that 7 months of hardcore sewing would produce enough lent to cause the thread cutters to malfunction and as a result cause all that jamming---come to think of it, it's not that hard to believe! It's time for me to stock up on canned air and to do more frequent cleanings since I use my machine practically non-stop---just like you Guys of course!!! Whew, well that's a load off. All it cost me was a $60 cleaning fee from the wonderful Mr. Smiley--the only other person that I trust with my Baby!!!!

Well that delay (and being too lazy to pull out the back up machine) means I've got alot of catching up to do. Sew much to do....... and Sew little time (and yes "so" is swapped out  intentionally). I'm getting antsy because the end of the month is quickly approaching, and I have to wrap up my January and February sewing goals detailed in this Post .  Well I made a few of the items but swapped out some in order to make others (you know we Girls are always changing our sewing plans). I plan on doing a January/February wrap up no later than Monday to evalute my 10,000 Hour Sewing Challenge Progress---remember I'm taking this challenge very seriously and am trying to stay disciplined as best I can! I have one item I'll be reviewing on tomorrow and I hope to get a couple of items done no later than next week. I hope I don't have to spill a little over into the first week of March to complete these items. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I will also be posting my March/April sewing goals by Monday. I'm sooooooooooo very excited to being sewing Spring clothes. You might recall this Post in which I showcased some really nice Spring fabrics I purchase and of course all of the New Vogue Spring patterns  that I can't wait to give a try. I probably should stop talking about this now because I feel myself beginning to drool.

Before I forget, I managed to squeeze in a sewing movie. I didn't realize that another movie about Coco Chanel was being released until a couple of weeks ago.

 So I checked it out. I had already seen the Lifetime movie "Coco Chanel" and have done a little reading up on her. Although I already knew a little bit about her life it was good to watch a more current film that focused on  her before she became famous. I just want to warn you that the movie is in French and has English subtitles, so unless you're fluent in French it will be a wee bit difficult for you to sew and watch this film. I have to admit that at times I forgot this film was about the designer since it focused on her love life (actor Allesandro Nivola wasn't too bad on the eyes) and some of the dilemmas and challenges she faced that pushed her toward becoming a designer. That's not a bad thing. It's always neat to see how Great people got their start. I believe that same greatness exists in all of us from one degree to another. I applaud her for following her "unconventional" vision even in the face of adversity. As we all know she has an empire that still remains today and is synonymous with true elegance and grace. If you have the time check this one out. I give it 3 out of 4 Stars!


Well, I've got to hop back to sewing and everything else. Although it's Tuesday, due to some weekend meetings, I have very limited time to sew, so I'm going back to the grind. I hope to maximize the little time I do have. How are your upcoming Spring sewing plans coming along??? You know I can't wait to see the fabulous clothes you make (wink)!!!

Countdown to begin the 10,000 Hour Sewing Challenge.. ......

The Challenge begins 01/01/2010 at 12:00am

I'm currently compiling the guidelines for this Challenge as well as the details of my Sewing goals for the upcoming year. I will have it all planned out within the next week or two and will post it. This is what I have so far:

* I'll credit myself 3000 hours although I've sewn for much more.
* My aim is to devote 1000 hours in 2010 to sewing or doing sewing related activities. This amounts to 83 hours a month or ~3 hours a day.
* I have to sew something every week minimum (2 weeks max for more complicated projects)
* I need to sew wardrobe essentials (Basic Black pieces): Slacks, LBD, Tailored Jacket,& Black pencil skirt. (Am I missing anything?)
* I have to keep track of all the time I spend sewing and reading, studying, or watching sewing related material and post it.
* Try draping a simple piece.
* Try drafting a simple piece.
* Sew some jeans-- Jalie 2908
* Start sewing my Spring Wardrobe in March.
* Start sewing my Fall/Winter wardrobe in September (Hey, I live in Savannah, Ga we barely have a Winter :) )

Although I'm still ironing out the details I'm extremely excited about this challenge! It may seem like a lot but believe it or not this helps me become more disciplined which is my biggest goal. I'm Left-Brained so Structure is my friend!!!. Plus these are just that, goals and you have to start from somewhere. As the old saying goes "If you Aim at Nothing you usually Hit it Every Time". I think you get my drift. And of course with you guys joining me,it makes this SO MUCH MORE exciting!!!

What are your thoughts so far? Do you have any ideas of some things I could put on my list to get accomplished? I'd love to hear your suggestions!